Nick Stadie's Passions

Nick Stadie's Bio

Just in case backcountry.com ever gets off their butt and stocks the new Dynafit crampons, I can confirm that the 120 mm crampons are true to size - I bought a pair elsewhere and measured. The narrowest inner width is precisely 120. It makes me wonder if the new 110s are also now made to the correct size... If anyone can confirm, would be great!

The new design also has longer teeth which I personally like since you can use them more effectively with risers. They still glide similarly to the classic design, so I think it's an improvement overall.

Just in case backcountry.com ever gets off their butt and stocks the new Dynafit crampons, I can confirm that the 120 mm crampons are true to size - I bought a pair elsewhere and measured. The narrowest inner width is precisely 120. It makes me wonder if the new 110s are also now made to the correct size... If anyone can confirm, would be great!

The new design also has longer teeth which I personally like since you can use them more effectively with risers. They still glide similarly to the classic design, so I think it's an improvement overall.

I was a bit disappointed with these gloves, I am sad to say. I was hoping for the "ultimate" uphill glove. They are plush, beautiful, grippy, dextrous, that's for sure. Here's what I was disappointed with: the leather soaks water very fast - OK, so I rubbed in some waterproofing Nikwax, but I feel like that was a big pain in the butt that I shouldn't have had to do right out of the box. Secondly, there's no clip for easily attaching them to stuff - there is a tight leather loop, but you have to supply the cord/string or whatever to clip them together (for hanging, etc.). Last but not least, the inner liner is super un-durable. Its that silk like material you find on the inside of a cheap blazer. It ripped an annoying hole during the third tour I used them on... Hardly what I have come to expect from the big A!

This thin fleece layer is typical of Arcteryx stuff - the colours pop, the design is mostly minimal (the exception is that patch/pocket on the shoulder, I've never used it), and the price tag is ungodly. I saved up and could barely afford it on sale. So why go through the trouble? The triumph with this top is the fit. How does Arc'teryx know exactly what I'm shaped like? I fit perfectly in a M for everything they make. I'm 5'11" and have a pretty scrawny build (the "I don't do pushups" kind) so the average fleece makes me look like a balloon. This one's clean, fit to form, and I can wear it for days. Having clothing I can wear to work, to the pub, and just as easily in the backcountry is just, um, schweet.

Just try it. Stoic did a pretty good job with this one. Seen here in size S (Eyrun is about 5'3"), with an R1 Hoody and some long underwear on underneath. In this size it somehow works well for her as a stand-alone, an underlayer, and an overlayer! It's not super thick, which I think gives it this flexibility.

This has been my emergency shell for 2 reasons: it's cheap and it's cheap. I find that no matter what jacket you buy, especially if it's an awesome one and you wear it a lot, time eventually takes its toll and you end up with a Gore-Tex leaker. So it works great for most stuff but when you're cycling home in a downpour, it lets you down. That's why I keep a pristine cheap, packable, waterproof shell like this around - it works when you need it and you bring it when you're not expecting to use it. Hence, it doesn't get used that much. My only real peeve about this jacket, since it keeps me so 100% dry in its current state of newness, is that it lacks pockets. So I use my shorts. The M fits like an M. Perfect.

Let's put it this way: you invest a lot of money in something and it quickly shows whether you regret it or whether it's worth it. If it's worth it, or so you think, you give it another year or two (especially if you're talking about ski touring gear) and you re-think it. This pack takes a beating, year after year, and it's not a regretful purchase. What the Arrakis 50 is: a ski touring legend. It's sweet for everything from trekking to grocery shopping to skiing, mild downpours in the summer to cold dry tours in the winter to sloppy wet spring tours when everyone's stopped skiing for at least a month. Throw this pack in the water (not for long though!), on the snow, in the mud, and your stuff is safe and sound. Its comfy and elegant. The zippers were placed by a genius. Everything is close at hand. The suspension is minimalist and plush at the same time. It carries your overnight load and then compresses and rolls down to small enough to be a day pack. What it isn't: I've found that this pack lacks the volume for truly massive missions, or when you're the goat bringing all the beer to the hut. You'll run out of space. So you end up with stuff on the outside of the pack, which is surprisingly easy to lash to despite its appearance. It can't do everything, and for big long hauls, size up.

For Eyrun's first overnight pack, she went with the ACT Lite 45+10 SL. We'll mostly be doing multi-day trekking, ski touring, and occasionally big haul hut trips, and this pack fills those purposes like a champ. It's light and what's great about the materials is that they stretch to allow you to put more stuff in the pack than all around the outside. I don't mean way deep down where you can't get at it, but close at hand - convenient when you're layering and de-layering all day long in that weird weather that happens in (insert your awesome place here). The pack was compared to a few other offerings from Deuter and a few from BD and wasn't just chosen for the colour, although it is pretty easy on the eyes too. It's super adjustable so of all the packs she tried, this one would have been probably the easiest to buy without having ever tried it on. It goes as small as necessary - Eyrun is on the small end and she has adjustment to spare.

It turns out, the awesome R1 hoody isn't made in a "women's style"... well, so be it! The extra small is well within the normal range for W's so my girlfriend tried it, and magic! The sweet ninja styling is all yours ladies. Eyrun is about 5'3" and she likes the XS. She'd normally be anywhere in the XS-M range for regular women's stuff. Obviously, you'll have to pick your size based on your intended use and preferences on bagginess. Cheers!